Tea

The rolling hills of China’s southern Yunnan Province have been identified as the birthplace of tea. Anthropologists say here is “where humans figured out that eating tea leaves or brewing a cup could be pleasant.”¹ As the top tea producing country in the world (followed by India and Kenya), the options of Chinese teas are seemingly endless. If you’re new to this vast world of tea and overwhelmed by the available selection, we recommend working your way through the list known as “China’s 10 Most Famous Teas.”

Each of these famous teas is recognized by its characteristic leaf shape and size, appearance, and taste. In total, there are six green teas, two wulong teas, one black tea, and one yellow. We’ll be highlighting a tea from each of these categories, but first, we’re starting with yellow tea. China is currently the only major producer of yellow teas, and even in China, it is a very rare type. In Tony Gebely’s book Tea: A User’s Guide, “Yellow tea is defined by a unique processing step where small batches of tea leaves are wrapped in cloth bundles after fixing, allowing them to yellow. While wrapped, the leaves turn from green to yellow-green as chlorophylls are broken down. Vegetal flavors mellow and subside, and the tea leaves partially oxidize.”

The only yellow tea to make the cut for China’s Ten Most Famous Teas is Jun Shan Yin Zhen (or Junshan Silver Needle). This incredibly rare yellow tea originated on Junshan Island in Hunan Province’s Dongting Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in China. Besides this tea, Dongting Lake is famous in Chinese culture as the place of origin of dragon boat racing and is home to the endangered Finless Porpoise.

This is was what the Finless Porpoise looks like in case you were curious. He’s a bonafide day brightener. (Photo Credit: www.china.org.cn)

Jun Shan Yin Zhen is made up purely of hand-sorted buds that are fixed (heated), wrapped in small bundles, and dried. Unlike most black, oolong, and pu’er teas, “yellow teas are not usually rolled or shaped in any way. The original plucking standard is preserved.”² Junshan Island’s soil and climate give the tea a sweet fruit aroma and light sugarcane taste. “The tea’s small growing area and the skill required to make it result in only a small quantity of authentic Jun Shan Yin Zhen produced each year.”³

We used our Raven Stovetop Kettle to brew the Jun Shan Yin Zhen. With Raven’s integrated tea filter, you can heat and steep in the same vessel saving time and cleanup. Since tea is even more sensitive to water temperature than coffee, Raven’s steep-range thermometer helps you dial-in the correct degree point.

Tea Characteristics

Brew Color: Light Yellow

Flavor Profile: Light sugarcane

Aroma: Sweet fruit

Brew Instructions

Add 1-1.5 tsp for every 8 oz of water

Heat water to 190°F

Steep tea in Raven’s filter for 2 minutes

Enjoy!

If you’re interested in brewing Jun Shan Yin Zhen at home, Tea Drunk and Seven Cups both have great options. Happy steeping, friends!

Prismo swooped into the Fellow-sphere back in July, and we’ve been riding that AeroPress® Coffee Maker attachment high ever since. If you have no clue what we’re talking about, check out Prismo in action first. If you’re already on the pressure actuated train, keep on reading for a recipe straight from Prismo’s utility belt.

Yes, our latest product’s slogan may be “Superpowers for your AeroPress® Coffee Maker,” but coffee isn’t the only hot liquid Prismo brews with finesse. Tea, hot or iced, is on the drink docket as well. Since one of Prismo’s superpowers is its “No Drip Seal,” Prismo creates the perfect seal inside the AeroPress® chamber. This means you can load and steep your hot water and loose leaf without any worries of leaks out of the bottom.

While Prismo can brew any type of tea, we’re letting you in on Fellow’s favorite green tea recipe. We’ve tested and perfected the water, temperature, loose leaf, and stir time ratios. Why? Because we like our tea to taste good, dang it!

Also known as “popcorn tea” Genmaicha is a green tea blended with brown rice. No, there’s traditionally no popcorn actually in the tea, but this blend is colloquially named popcorn tea for its bits of brown rice that sometimes pop during roasting and look a bit like popcorn.